The largest health care worker strike in Oregon history, which started on Friday, is now in its fourth day. According to numbers from Providence around 90 percent of nurses are striking right now.
The hospital also said that 40 percent of union nurses at its Medford Medical Center reported for work on Friday. Peter Starzynski from the Oregon Nurses Association accused the hospital of using intimidation tactics to discourage nurses from striking.
鈥淲e know that some nurses went to work on day one of the strike because they thought they had to, and have joined the picket line since then," he said.
Nurses have the right to strike under federal law, and are not required to go to work. The union is required to provide a 10-day notice to the hospital before a strike, to allow the hospital to transfer patients or arrange for alternative care. Providence stopped bargaining after the 10-day notice, saying it needed to focus all its attention on preparing to care for patients during the strike. That move was criticized by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek on Friday, who said hospital management wasted time when it could have been negotiating.
Representatives from Providence declined to be interviewed for this story. In a statement, Providence said it should be ready to negotiate soon at its two largest hospitals, Providence St. Vincent and Providence Portland.
"These tertiary hospitals treat the patients with the most acute conditions and complex needs," Providence said in a statement. "For those reasons, those two sites still require extra focus from their leadership teams"
Despite the company saying it鈥檚 ready to negotiate, Starzynski said that鈥檚 news to the union.
鈥淲e have not heard from Providence or federal mediators about opening up negotiations, we鈥檝e only heard from the press," he said.
Starzynski said the union has always been ready to negotiate a new contract. They say they鈥檙e seeking competitive wages, better staffing levels and improved working conditions.
